Coming to the United States offers many immigrants the chance to better themselves through education, jobs, and possible upward mobility. However, once in the United States, they face discrimination and stereotyping, which often hinders their ability to access the American Dream.[1] This is true of Bolivian immigrants who began immigrating after the passage of the Hart-Celler Act (1965). Most of the Bolivians who were coming were economic immigrants, hoping to make money to both have a good life in America and send funds back to Bolivia.

According to the 2010 Census, Bolivians comprised the largest number immigrants from South American countries to come to Alexandria, Virginia. [2]

Despite being the largest group coming from South America, Bolivians immigrants are often either ignored by the media or when covered, they are often grouped in a large catch-all group of other immigrants coming from Central and South America and the stories are  negative. They report on gang violence, drug trafficking, political coups, and earthquakes.[3] These stereotypes, which the media perpetuates, forces immigrants to work harder to gain the trust of Americans, in order to get the jobs or investments in small business start-ups.

In an effort to combat this negative image of Bolivians as well as other Central and Southern American immigrants, Julio Duran, a Bolivian immigrant, decided that he was going to begin to publish his own newspaper Impacto in 1986. Duran was born in Tarija, Bolivia and was trained as in journalism at the University of La Plata, in Buenos Aries Argentina. After graduating, Duran began working for different newspapers and even started a few of his own papers La Tablada in La Paz, Bolivia. In 1979, Duran moved to the United States to become a Washington correspondent for the newspaper El Diario.[4]

Despite his education and experience in Bolivia, Duran struggled to find a job in the United States. He was repeatedly turned down for jobs with the federal government despite passing the writing exams and a background check. In the face of this opposition, Duran decided that he would write and publish his own newspaper and focused on stories that were neglected by the U.S. media but were important to those Spanish-speaking immigrants from Central and South America. Duran knew that in order to finance his newspaper, he would need to get advertisers interested in investing in his newspaper. In an interview with the Washington Post, Duran describes how he was forced to go around carrying his degree to prove his credentials. Still, many were hesitant to advertise in his newspaper and instead insisted to see the first edition before making any decision. So Duran was forced to invest $8,000 his own money into his newspaper while only taking in $4,000 in advertisements.[5]

Partially due to his status as a Latino immigrant, Julio was denied a job with the federal government (despite his qualifications) and struggled to get advertising in his newspaper, despite his extensive experience. However, due to his determination and hard work, Julio Duran was eventually able to get his newspaper Impacto published. While the American Dream and belief in the equality is central to the American psyche, immigrants often face a number of struggles. One of the hardest to overcome is the racial stereotypes held by those born in the America. These stereotypes are often portrayed by the media and cause immigrants to struggle to have access to jobs that they are qualified for.

 

[1]. Tom Gjelten, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015).

[2]. 2010 U.S. Federal Census: Community Facts; Hispanic or Latino, Alexandria, Virginia, American Fact Finder, digital image, accessed November 09, 2016, http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.

[3]. Dianna Saenz, “Fledgling Va. Publisher Puts Out a Paper with Latin American Beat,” The Washington Post, December 11, 1986, accessed November 09, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1986/12/11/fledgling-va-publisher-puts-out-a-paper-with-latin-american-beat/6344a7f8-c047-4758-a935-769d7924046a/.

[4]. Ibid.

[5]. Ibid.

 

Based on the 2010 U.S. Census, Bolivians are the largest immigrant group residing in Alexandria, Virginia from South America. Bolivian immigrants total 1,227 in the City of Alexandria, comprising 0.9% of the total Hispanic or Latino population.[1] With their increasing numbers, Bolivian immigrants are making their mark in Northern Virginia in dance, music, and especially food.

Chart courtesy of 2010 Census Summary File, “Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010,” U.S. Census Bureau

There are around 20 Bolivian restaurants in Northern Virginia, ranging from Springfield to Sterling. Several Bolivian restaurants are clustered in Alexandria or just across the city border in Arlington County. Some restaurants with the highest ratings on Google reviews are Sibarita Retaurant in Arlington, Pan American Bakery in Alexandria, and La Caraqueña in Falls Church.      

Map of Bolivian restaurants in Northern Virginia

Interestingly, very few of these restaurants advertise that they serve Bolivian food. Of all the restaurants listed on the map above, only 3 include the word “Bolivian” in the name. An article in the Washington Post claims that this is because Americans are not familiar or comfortable trying Bolivian food and restaurant owners want to make their businesses as popular with as many possible customers as possible. Orlando Murillo, a Bolivian immigrant who owned Tutto Bene in Arlington, which has since closed, served pasta and wine during on the weekdays, but on the weekends they served their most prized Bolivian dish: salteñas, which are comparable to the popular Central American empanadas. In fact, Tutto Bene was selling about 3,000 salteñas per week in 2001. Murillo said that “this place goes crazy on the weekends…Americans ask: what is going on?”[2]

Tutto Bene: Arlington, VA, photo courtesy of ARLnow.

In order to get Americans interested in a Bolivian restaurant, most owners serve more than just salteñas and sonso (similar to mashed potatoes). Murillo claimed: “We have to be realistic, the Bolivian food is not that well know in the American community.”[3]

Owners often serve American food in addition to their traditional Bolivian dishes to make these establishments more accessible. According to the Washington Post: “The weekend salteña tradition is another measure of an immigrant community known for its success in adapting to the United States while maintaining strong homeland ties.”

[1]: U.S. Census Bureau, “Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010,” 2010 U.S. Census.

[2]: Douglas Hanks III, “The Saltena Circuit: If you want this Bolivian Meat Turnover, You Have to Know Where to Look,” Washington Post, April 25, 2001, accessed November 10, 2016, LexisNexis Academic.

[3]: Ibid.

[4]: Ibid.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plyer v. Doe (1982) that undocumented students, including younger adults, have the same right to a public education as a U.S. citizen. As a result of this case, public schools are unable to:

1. Deny admission to a student during initial enrollment or at any other time on the basis of undocumented status. Treat a student differently to determine residency.
2. Engage in any practices to “chill” the right of access to school.
3. Require students or parents to disclose or document their immigration status.
4. Make inquiries of students or parents that may expose their undocumented status.
5. Require social security numbers from all students, as this may expose undocumented status.[1]

It is required by all public schools to provide language-assistance programs to “all limited English proficient children.”[2] Why are so many English Language Learners (ELL students) left behind, past and present? Some students have been put into special education programs because they are unable to speak English proficiently. Others have been pulled out of the classroom for individual work such as worksheets or computer work, rather than an inclusive classroom that differentiates instruction.

A major problem we faced and continue to deal with today in our public school system was the isolation of student immigrants.. Heidi Flores, a Bolivian immigrant and former T.C. Williams student describes herself as a “little dot in a big place.” [3] Students immigrating to America have the right to an education but over the last few decades, have not necessarily been receiving the best education they could be receiving. Washington Post staff writer, Pamela Constable wrote an article published April 2, 1995 mentioning the issues Alexandria Public Schools had with ELL students. She includes that “there are more than 20,000 public school students in the District and surrounding suburbs who either were born abroad or are studying English as a second language. About 75 percent are Latinos, and many face similar problems: limited English, cultural isolation, economic hardship and poor or interrupted schooling in their homelands.” [4]

Others in the article discussed how the public school systems separate ESL (English as a Second Language) students for part or all of the day and some offer bilingual instruction. The problem with these Bolivian immigrants like Flores is that they are isolated and may not have received the best education possible. Education programs have changed since the 1990s, and today, there are sites like the Virginia Department of Education that include instructional information for ELL students. Alexandria’s Public School Systems site includes different levels ELL students may be at and more information on that specific level.

Image from the Virginia Department of Education showing resourced for ELL students Image from Alexandria’s Public Schools site showing the performance definition for ELs (English Learners)

In A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story, Tom Gjelten, writes of two Bolivian young women who have a dream of going to college in the Washington Metropolitan Area.[5] These two girls are an example of how immigrants migrate to the United States for a purpose. When migrating to the United States, these Bolivians and other non-English speaking migrants are labeled as ELL students and are not always given the best education they could be receiving. Some teachers are working on bridging the gap to improve these ELL programs and work on assisting students like Heidi Flores who attended school in a diverse area with many immigrants, feel less isolated. Flores and her fellow ELL classmates have this feeling of isolation causing a potential thought to drop out of school because other people discourage these students from wanting to be successful due to their immigration status. When teachers and administrators in public schools are able to bridge this gap of isolation, students will be more likely to be successful and potentially push for citizenship to have the opportunity to attend college in the United States or apply for a job to further their success.

Image Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

[1] “Migrant and Bilingual Education,” Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, http://www.k12.wa.us/Equity/pubdocs/ProhibitingDiscriminationInPublicSchools.pdf, published March 24, 2015 (accessed November 8, 2016).

[2] Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974).

[3] Pamela Constable, “A New Accent on Education,” The Washington Post, April 2, 1995.

[4] Ibid.

 

[5] Tom Gjelten, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015).

For some, the American Dream is the pursuit of opportunity. They believe that, with enough heart, ingenuity, and the right niche, success could be attained in the United States. One man that embodied the American Dream was Julio Duran. Duran, native to Tarija, Bolivia, migrated to the United States in 1971 in response to Hugo Banzer’s successful coup.[1] Duran had migrated  from his home country in order to escape repression and to find opportunity in the US. Once in Virginia, Duran recognized that Latin American news in American newspapers had been largely ignored. Duran knew that the Latino community–along with the country’s their families had come from–had many positives beyond earthquakes, political coups, and cocaine trafficking.[2] In response, Duran created Impacto during the fall of 1986. The newspaper was a Spanish-language monthly that provided services to more than 250,000 Latin Americans in the Washington, D.C. area.[3]

Duran put in 15-hour days so that Impacto could thrive.  The paper talked about regional news, such as minority business opportunities, immigration laws, substance abuse, the Cold War arms race, and culture.[4] Duran had to overcome prevailing stereotypes while finding investors for the newspaper. He talked about having to bring his diploma around with him as he attempted to finance Impacto.[5] Like with many migrants, family was what kept the dream alive for Julio Duran. His wife, Beatriz, and daughters, Claudia and Cecilia, never let him quit even in the face of racism.[6]

In the pursuit for economic success, Julio Duran embraced the opportunity to create a newspaper that focused on issues that the Latino community wanted to read about. Duran had to face racism in his pursuits, as investors could not believe that a Hispanic man could be a writer, or a good one at that. Family has always been the support system for migrants in the United States, and Duran’s situation was no different. Hard work and determination led to Duran’s successful printing of the newspaper Impacto.

[1] Dianna Saenz, “Fledgling Va. Publisher Puts Out a Paper with Latin American Beat,” The Washington Post, December 11, 1986, accessed November 10, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1986/12/11/fledgling-va-publisher-puts-out-a-paper-with-latin-american-beat/6344a7f8-c047-4758-a935-769d7924046a/; Heather Benno, “Documents prove U.S. government involvement in 1971 Bolivia coup,” Liberation, July 10, 2010, accessed November 20, 2016, https://www.liberationnews.org/10-07-10-documents-prove-us-government-html/.

[2]Saenz, “Fledgling Va. Publisher Puts Out a Paper with Latin American Beat.”

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

English learners in the United States public school system are invisible, unwelcome, and often mistreated. As the nation becomes more polarized and immigrants are a popular political point of discussion, educators may wonder if their English Language Learner (ELL) students will get the appropriate attention and materials they need to succeed. In Alexandria, however, programs have been established to protect, promote, and even advocate the cultures of their immigrant communities. As of the last U.S. Census in 2010, Alexandria’s population consisted of 16.1% Latinos.[1] This is a slight increase from the 2000 U.S. Census, with a 14.7% Latino population in Alexandria.[2] Legislation was put into effect to not only protect an ELL student’s mother tongue but to promote the maintenance of their culture. The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 states that students were to “be taught in their native languages while they learned English.”[3] The reality, however, is that ELL programs, usually called English as a Second Language (ESL) or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), fail to assist these students in any meaningful way. In the 1990s a Bolivian immigrant, Heidi Flores at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, specifically addressed a common sentiment of ELL students that resonates to this day: isolation.

With a growing immigrant population, Spanish is not the only language ELL programs are servicing. However, Spanish-speaking students are the largest group of ELL students in the U.S. at 76.5% in the 2013-2014 school year with 3,770,816 students nationally.[4] In fact, there are more Spanish speakers in the United States than Spain.[5] Currently, Alexandria City Public Schools have a 36% Latino population.[6] In April 2015, T.C. Williams had over one thousand Latino students enrolled at their high school, making up 41% of the school’s demographic, a higher average than the city generally.[7] Yet, ELL students still feel unwelcome, stating that despite the ELL program at T.C. Williams being effective, they felt insignificant and unaccepted in the large school.[8] Most Bolivian immigrants are economic immigrants and many non-Western European immigrants that come to the United States experience downward mobility.[9] The result is that the ELL students in the U.S. have parents who work long hours or multiple jobs to make ends.[10] Moreover, many send remittances back to family in Bolivia, which forced them to live in low-income and often high-crime neighborhoods.[11] This absence of their parents can lead to gang involvement.[12]While certain gangs are generally known to associate with specific nationalities, such as MS-13 consisting primarily of Salvadoran immigrants, they actually are inclusive of other Latinos.[13] Flores explained how unwelcome the Latino students felt at T.C. Williams in the 1990s, stating that bullying ranged from attacking people for their accents to name-calling.[14] Joining a gang was a means of having family and community that some lacked at home and at school. While some find positive organizations, like Junior ROTC, others do not communicate with their teachers or school counselors that they lack appropriate clothes, access to food, and are being bullied.[15] This could partially be due to the fact that they may not be receiving what they need to learn English, and some lack the ability to read and write in Spanish as well.[16]

While certain gangs are generally known to associate with specific nationalities, such as MS-13 consisting of Salvadoran immigrants, they actually are inclusive of other Latinos.[13] Flores explained how unwelcome the Latino students felt at T.C. Williams in the 1990s, stating that bullying ranged from attacking people for their accents to name-calling.[14] Joining a gang was a means of having family and community that some lacked at home and at school. While some find positive organizations, like Junior ROTC, others do not communicate with their teachers or school counselors that they lack appropriate clothes, access to food, and are being bullied.[15] This could partially be due to the fact that they may not be receiving what they need to learn English, and some lack the ability to read and write in Spanish as well.[16]

Studies have shown that language acquisition can take five to seven years, but this can only occur with effective ELL instruction.[17] Bolivian immigrants, like most children of immigrants from non-English speaking countries, are raised in homes where English is not spoken, leaving both content and language learning to their teachers.[18] Afterward, many of the students teach their parents English or act as a translator because Spanish-speaking immigrants largely maintained their native tongue, particularly in comparison to other groups of immigrants.[19] The Bilingual Education Act was the first step at acknowledging a need to teach ELL students in both English and in Spanish.Northern Virginia is unique, however. With their growing Latino population, they chose to maintain its diversity with programs outside of schools as well. One such program is Edu-Futuro. The slogan for Edu-Futuro reads “Educación para nuestro futuro,” meaning education for our future and their motto reads “Empowering Students. Engaging Parents. Transforming Communities.”[20] This program aims to help Bolivian immigrants learn skills, culture, and advocate for other themselves, their families, and the growing community. They were “recognized as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics on September 15, 2015” because of their work to better educate the Latino community.[21] Ultimately, this program and ones like it may be able to curb the isolation ELL students feel and show teachers how to reach out to these students. Had Flores and the students she spoke for in the 1990s had access to a program like this they could have found the community they desired to escape the isolation of their school.

Northern Virginia is unique, however. With their growing Latino population, they chose to maintain its diversity with programs outside of schools as well. One such program is Edu-Futuro. The slogan for Edu-Futuro reads “Educación para nuestro futuro,” meaning education for our future and their motto reads “Empowering Students. Engaging Parents. Transforming Communities.”[20] This program aims to help Bolivian immigrants learn skills, culture, and advocate for other themselves, their families, and the growing community. They were “recognized as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics on September 15, 2015” because of their work to better educate the Latino community.[21] Ultimately, this program and ones like it may be able to curb the isolation ELL students feel and show teachers how to reach out to these students. Had Flores and the students she spoke for in the 1990s had access to a program like this they could have found the community they desired to escape the isolation of their school.

Endnotes

1. 2010 U.S. Federal Census: Community Facts; Hispanic or Latino, Alexandria, Virginia, American Fact Finder, digital image, accessed November 8, 2016, http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.
2. 2000 U.S. Federal Census: Community Facts; Hispanic or Latino, Alexandria, Virginia, American Fact Finder, digital image, accessed November 8, 2016, http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.
3. Sara Davis. Powell, “Ethical and Legal Issues in U.S. Schools,” in Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching, 3rd ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2012), 286.
4. “English Language Learners in Public Schools,” National Center for Education Statistics, May 2016, accessed November 08, 2016, http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp.
5. Chris Perez, “Us Has More Spanish Speakers Than Spain,” New York Post, June 29, 2015, accessed November 10, 2016, http://nypost.com/2015/06/29/us-has-more-spanish-speakers-than-spain/.
6. “Fast Facts: Student Demographics,” Alexandria City Public Schools, September 30, 2015, accessed November 19, 2016, http://www.acps.k12.va.us/fastfact.php.
7. “ACPS Monthly Enrollment Data: April 2016,” Alexandria City Public Schools, April 2016, accessed November 19, 2016, http://www.acps.k12.va.us/enrollment-monthly-201604.pdf.
8. Pamela Constable, “A New Accent On Education: Rise of Immigrants Means Schools Must Navigate a Sea of Diversity,” The Washington Post, April 2, 1995.
9. Tom Gjelten, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 22-25.
10. Gjelten, A Nation of Nations, 51-52.
11. Ibid.
12. Gjelten, A Nation of Nations, 298-299.
13. Patrick Welsh, “Lure of the Latino Gang: When Immigrant Students Find Poverty, Isolation and a Life of Violence,” The Washington Post, March 26, 1995.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Jane Hill and Kathleen Flynn, “The Stages of Second Language Acquisition,” in Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006), 15.
18. Hill and Flynn, “The Stages of Second Language Acquisition,” in Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners, xii-xiii.
19. Gjelten, A Nation of Nations, 329.
20. “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education,” Edu-Futuro, accessed November 10, 2016, http://www.edu-futuro.org/new-page-1/.
21. Ibid.

Moving within a country is stressful, but emigration to another nation is another level of stress. One thing immigrants like to do when moving to a new place is keep some of their old things, whether that be material objects, family traditions, or even food. One thing Bolivians brought with them is their love of soccer.

There are well over four hundred Latino soccer teams with over seven thousand athletes in the Washington Metro area. There are quite a few rivalries, some stemming from former hometowns in Central and South America where the players are from. Many of the players, coaches and owners learned the soccer game and business behind it when they lived outside of the United States. Teams even recruit professional players from their home countries to come play in their metro area teams.[1] Despite the money involved in a lot of the leagues, some coaches refuse to pay players.[2]

 

Money and business are a large part of these leagues, bringing in thousands of dollars annually, but there is no way to know how much vendors are earning. Even international businesses like Budweiser are involved. In 1998, Budweiser donated $10,000 to the TACA Cup which was held at Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium in Washington, DC. The six day tournament brought in over $16,000 worth of tickets when only two years before the ceremony had been held in an airline office. Getting from an office to RFK in the span of two years is an amazing change. Athletic wear and equipment companies that had verbal agreements wanted contracts to prevent big names like Adidas from taking their “small town clients.” In total, the TACA Cup cost $23,000 for referees, security, renting RFK, and the many other expenses that come with hosting a tournament.[3] However, the competing teams do not have to pay to enter the tournament.[4]

Teams pay anywhere from $500 – $1500 to join leagues and then the owners of the leagues take care of things like field rentals and hiring and paying referees. With such a large fan base, Latino soccer is a $1.4 million a year industry. Many Latino-owned restaurants and businesses aid in supporting the soccer community by sponsoring teams. Sponsoring restaurants often keep their doors open late at night to celebrate winning games.[5]  Unlike most leagues, the Bolivian league is run by a board of directors, instead of owners.[6]

Bolivians, athletes or not, have a local Bolivian celebrity to look up to and use as a beacon of hope for success. Marco Etcheverry was on DC United and had a large fan base comprised of the Bolivians living around the DC Metro area. Fans said they took inspiration from Etcheverry both on and off the field. Americans also like him so that helps unite the immigrants with the locals. Even when offered a large deal to be traded to a team in France, Etcheverry denied it, citing his reasons as wanting to stay in the DC area and remain loyal to both Bolivians and Americans in the area. He even planned to open his own soccer school to give back to the community even further. He donated uniforms to teams and gives speeches to Bolivian schools.[7]

With strong leagues and star Bolivian players, soccer is one thing that Bolivian immigrants don’t have to give up when they come to America. Soccer unites fans around the world and definitely in the DC Metro area. There are plenty of teams to get involved in or just to cheer for. The large soccer scene gives immigrants the chance to feel more at home and start new relationships on common ground.

[1] Gabriel Escobar, “The Other Pro Soccer; In Area’s Latino Leagues, Part of the Game Is Profit, and the Best Players Are Paid” The Washington Post, November 29, 1998, 1.

[2] Escobar, 2.

[3] Escobar, 2.

[4] Escobar, 5.

[5] Escobar, 2.

[6] Escobar, 3.

[7] Pamela Constable, “The Pride of All Hispanics: United’s Etcheverry is Bolivia’s Shining Star,” The Washington Post, Octeber 21, 1998.

In the City of Alexandria and the surrounding area, there are several well-established Bolivian restaurants. Not only do these restaurants provide excellent food and service to the surrounding Alexandria community, but also they serve as meeting spaces for the local Bolivian American community, who–as noted by Tom Gjelten in A Nation of Nations, came to northern Virginia for economic and educational opportunities starting in the 1980s.[1] Yelp Reviews has compiled a list of the top 10 Bolivian restaurants in the Alexandria/Arlington area with Sibarita’s comes in at the top of the list as a family-style restaurant serving “Fresh, Healthy, and Delicious Traditional Bolivian Food.” The restaurant was opened by Bolivian immigrant and first time restaurateur Jorge Alberto and his sister, in Arlington in 2011.[2] Residents from all over Virginia and the Washington Metropolitan Area have traveled to the family owned restaurant. Customers have raved about the wonderful service and delicious food, with one customer leaving a 5-star review saying, “The best Bolivian restaurant ever. Delicious, authentic food. Great service.”[3]

Pan American Bakery is also an Alexandria community favorite with their customers loving the restaurant’s famous salteñas. Pan American Bakery was started by Bolivian-born Genny DeFoor and her husband Romero in 2003. Their first location was near Columbia Pike in Arlington and the couple later opened another location in Alexandria in 2008.[4] One customer even said Pan American Bakery’s salteñas “have a special, unique place in my heart.”[5] The Washington Post included the Pan American Bakery as a must-stop place to eat in a 2007 article by Nancy Lewis, “Places to Eat That You Should Know About,” praising the restaurant’s salteñas, “a beef stew in a savory pie that is a Bolivian specialty.”[6] In addition to Pan American Bakery, neighboring Bolivian restaurant Pike Pizza also made Lewis’ article as well as the top 10 list on Yelp Reviews.

Pike Pizza is another Bolivian restaurant and once again is a community favorite. Family run and co-owned by Bolivian-native Guillermo Molina, this restaurant located on Columbia Pike in Arlington attracts Bolivian food lovers and those such as how one customer stated, “I don’t know the first thing about Bolivian food, but I do know this place serves some mean dishes.”[7] Other customers have praised the restaurants salteñas, “I recommend the salteñas to everyone I meet that wants to try some or are looking for some.”[8] Pike Pizza serves a variety of authentic Bolivian food which some customers felt “transported [them] back to South America.”[9] Tim Carman, a writer for the Washington City Paper, penned an article in December, 2008, dedicated to the delicious authentic Bolivian food served in the Alexandria/Arlington area, titled “Do You Bolivian Love?” In his article, Carman discussed how he visited El Pike (another name for Pike Bolivian Restaurant/Pike Pizza), but was disappointed as their ever-so-popular salteñas were sold out. He explained, “Not only is El Pike known for this braided, Bolivian equivalent of the empanada, but the savory pastry is also the national dish of the South American country.”[10] Carman went on to explain that although the restaurant is gaining popularity, it is not as well-known as the Ethiopian restaurants on Ninth Street in D.C. and Pickett Street and Duke Street in Alexandria, or the Vietnamese restaurants on Eden Center in Falls Church, VA, because Bolivian restaurants “don’t have a centralized location to draw patrons and repeated media attention.”[11] However, despite this fact, Bolivian restaurants spattered throughout Alexandria and Arlington are community favorites as they provide family-friendly environments, great service, and delicious, authentic food.

1. Tom Gjelten, A Nation of Nations (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015): 20-27.
2. Tim Carman, “In Bolivian Cuisine, Meat Matters,” The Washington Post, October 10, 2014.
3. Sibarita Restaurant, “Reviews” facebook.com. Accessed November 9, 2016.
4. “Pan American Bakery in Arlington,” The Washington Post, December 10, 2008.
5. “Pan American Bakery,” Yelp Reviews, yelp.com. Accessed November 9, 2016.
6. Nancy Lewis, “Places to Eat That You Should Know About,” The Washington Post, April 27, 2007.
7. “Pan American Bakery,” digital image, ARLnow.com. Accessed November 9, 2016.
8. “Pike Pizza,” Yelp Reviews, yelp.com. Accessed November 9, 2016.
9. Marissa S., “Pike Pizza,” Yelp Review, yelp.com. Accessed November 9, 2016.
10. Tim Carman, “Do You Bolivian Love?” Washington City Paper, December 5, 2008. Washingtoncitypaper.com.
11. Carman, “Do You Bolivian Love?”

Virginia is an extremely diverse place with the percentage of foreign-born citizens rising more than ten times over the last forty years. As a result of this diversity, there has been an increasing exchange of cultural ideas and practices in the public sphere.[i] One example of this cultural exchange is the so-called “Salteña Circuit” that circles the greater metropolitan area from Alexandria, Arlington, Springfield, and City of Fairfax in Virginia. Restaurants such as Pan American Bakery, The Bolivian Sober, and Marcela’s Bakery cater to Bolivians and those with an appreciation for their cuisine. These restaurants provide an opportunity for Bolivians to gather and share a common heritage, while also serve as a point pride for Bolivians to share with non-Bolivians who want a taste of their culture. To understand how this circuit of restaurants has cropped up so quickly, it is important to explore the rationale behind Bolivian immigration to the United States.

(Image courtesy of Yelp, Pike Pizza)

Unlike other immigrant groups that came to the United States due to war, famine, and political strife, Bolivians came to the United States for economic and educational opportunities for themselves and their children. Bolivians who came to the United States in the 1980s sought a higher standard of living than was possible back home and pursued economic ventures to achieve this goal. Emily Wax, staff writer for the Washington Post, explains “with jobs scarce in the landlocked country, many middle-class, college-educated Bolivians started coming to Washington,” and that with this capital and education allowed Bolivian immigrants to excel in business.[ii]

(Map of the Circuit that laps around the greater Virginia Metro area)

In a piece about the emergence of Bolivian culture in the United States, geography professor at George Washington University, Marie Price asserts that in the Metro area, Bolivians have “been able to straddle that fine line, to be able to assimilate in American society — buying homes, running businesses, having some success — yet still maintain their own identity.”[iii] One way in which they have achieved this balance of adopting American social norms and maintaining Bolivian identity is through the economic sphere. Since their arrival, Bolivian immigrants in the last few decades have created an independent chain of restaurants in the Metro area that serve Bolivian dishes for both their own and others who wish to sample a piece of their food traditions.

(Image courtesy of Yelp, Luzmila’s Cuisine)

[A family enjoying Salteñas with traditional llajwa salsa, a spicy green sauce]

Restaurants play a vital role in maintaining and propagating this sense of identity for Bolivians. An example of this benefit can be seen in a Washington Post article about the integration into the metro area Emma de Hainer, a Bolivian immigrant, who told the paper that places such as Bolivian restaurants, including those that make up the salteña circuit “give us a sense of belonging…these are places where I can continue to practice the type of activities I would have in Bolivia.”[iv] This has become one of the true value of these restaurants. They cultivate a sense of belonging and shared cultural experience among Bolivian immigrants, which they can share with non-Bolivians who frequent these restaurants.  

(Image courtesy of Business Insider, Evo Morales)

[President Evo Morales, leftist leader]

Restaurant owners hope that mutual love of cuisine can help transcend current political and cultural strife in Bolivia and bring people together. A Bolivian regular at the Sports House Grill Restaurant in Arlington, one of the restaurants that serves up salteñas, said that “[w]e’re not very proud of many things in Bolivia… but one of them is the food.”[v] Given the popularity and number of Bolivian restaurants that have cropped up in the last few decades, it would seem that public opinion and demand for these emerging cultural is quite positive.

Bolivian restaurants that form the Salteña Circuit in Virginia exist because of the fact that Bolivian immigrants have the capital and the will to open businesses. The result of these establishments is that Bolivian have a place to congregate and share a common culture, but also to express a more positive side of their heritage that is generally not portrayed in the news and media to the non-Bolivian public.  

[i] David Bearinger, “The Changing Face of Virginia: Immigration and the Humanities,” Virginia Humanities, accessed November 20, 2016, http://virginiahumanities.org/2014/10/the-changing-face-of-virginia-immigration-and-the-humanities/.

[ii] Emily Wax,  “For Area Bolivians, Cherishing the Past, Looking to the Future; Arlington at Center of Fast-Growing Community.” The Washington Post, June 7, 2001. Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-444018.html?refid=easy_hf.

[iii]  Douglas Hanks, “The Saltena Circuit; If You Want This Bolivian Meat Turnover, You Have to Know Where to Look.” The Washington Post, April 25, 2001. Accessed 2016. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-441180.html?refid=easy_hf.

[iv]  Stephanie Griffith, “Bolivians Reach for the American Dream; Well-Educated Immigrants With High Aspirations Work Hard, Prosper in D.C. Area.” The Washington Post, May 8, 1990. Accessed 2016. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1125611.html?refid=easy_hf.

[v] Hanks.

For Bolivians everywhere, soccer is everything. From 1996 to 2003, Bolivian D.C. United soccer player Marco Etcheverry, also known as “El Diablo,” embodied the love and pride that Bolivians and other Latino immigrants in the metropolitan D.C. area have for the game.[i] In their article “Soccer and Latino Cultural Space: Metropolitan Washington Futbol Leagues,” geographers Marie Price and Courtney Whitworth explain that Bolivian immigrants in metropolitan D.C. use soccer to “carve out cultural space” for themselves.[ii] Through playing in a league or supporting their local professional Bolivian soccer player, Bolivian immigrants create impermanent transnational connections to home and other immigrants.

(Courtesy of Alchetron.com)

Marco Etcheverry was born in 1970 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.[iii] Etcheverry played professional soccer on Bolivian national teams in Chile and Spain and then eventually became a player for the American major league soccer team D.C. United in 1996.[iv] In 1998, he was named the most valuable player in the MLS.[v]

Etcheverry quickly became a role model for Bolivian immigrants and Latinos in the metropolitan area. In a Washington Post article from 1998, many Bolivians and Latino immigrants expressed how important Etcheverry was in their lives. Bolivian immigrant Willie Mercado, a painter from Arlington, Virginia, explained “He has given a big boost to soccer and to the Bolivian flag in America.”[vi] Jose Calles, a Central American immigrant working as a construction worker in Alexandria, said Etcheverry was the “pride of all Hispanics in Washington.”[vii]

Bolivian immigrants, amidst their long work days, follow local players like Etcheverry and participate in local soccer leagues in an effort to stay connected to their culture and Bolivians everywhere. Soccer is their avenue of transnationalism. Etcheverry told the Washington Post in 1998 that he wished to stay very connected to home and did not have plans to become a permanent U.S. citizen, which he still has not done today.[viii] Etcheverry embodies the way Price and Whitworth explain many Bolivian immigrants feel. They wish to remain connected to home.

[i] Major League Soccer, “Marco Etcheverry,” Major League Soccer, accessed November 10, 2016. http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/marco-etcheverry

[ii] Marie Price and Courtney Whitworth, “Soccer and Latino Cultural Space: Metropolitan Washington Futbol Leagues,” in Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America, ed. Daniel Arreola (Austin: University of Texas, 2004), 168.

[iii] Major League Soccer, “Marco Etcheverry.”

[iv] Pamela Constable, “’The Pride Of All Hispanics’: United’s Etcheverry Is Bolivia’s Shining Star,” Washington Post, October 21, 1998, ProQuest.

[v] Major League Soccer, “Marco Etcheverry.”

[vi] Pamela Constable, “’The Pride Of All Hispanics’: United’s Etcheverry Is Bolivia’s Shining Star,” Washington Post, October 21, 1998, ProQuest.

[vii] Ibid..

[viii] Ibid..

An excellent source of information on Bolivian immigrant experiences is Tom Gjelten’s book, A Nation of Nations. In the second chapter of his book, Gjelten discusses a family who moved from Bolivia to the United States. Edu Alarcon states that it is her “drive”[i] that allowed her to make it to a better life. Coming from a poverty stricken and very rural area of Bolivia, Alarcon and her two friends arranged themselves go “to the nearest big city, Cochabamba, about sixty miles away.”[ii] Finding work there as house keepers, Edu and her friends were able to live on their own. When Edu was growing up “there was no school in her village, and at the age of fourteen she had not yet learned to read or write.”[iii] When her daughters first travelled to the United States in 1980, “only about sixty Bolivians visited the United States on an average day that year.”[iv] Coming to a country where they did not know anyone, spoke no English, and were very far away from home; Edu’s daughters (and herself later on) could have surely used some comfort. While seeing each other was an option every now and then, there was nothing compared to having a piece of home with them at all times.

One man who began a Bolivian newspaper in 1986 was Julio Duran. Stating that “every time he picked up a local paper looking for news about Latin America, he found himself reading about earthquakes, political coups, and cocaine trafficking,”[v] Duran wanted Latinos to have a more accurate view of Latin American politics, culture, and society. Duran named his newspaper Impacto, and he became successful even though he faced adversity for being foreign.[vi] Despite going through a difficult process of proving himself; Duran’s newspaper helped bring the Latino community together in the United States.

For Bolivian immigrants, newspapers like Impacto could really help them be more connected in the US with things going on in South America.

[i] Tom Gjelten, A Nation of Nations (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 20.

[ii] Gjelten, 21.

[iii] Gjelten, 20.

[iv] Gjelten, 23.

[v] Dianne Sanez, “Bolivian-Born Va. Man Starts Local Paper With a Latin Beat,” The Washington Post, December 11, 1986.

[vi] Ibid.